Damsel in Distress, Doctor!
by Myseybee
Summary: Taking little Amelia Pond with him on his travels was only the start of the Doctor's problems. Dealing with small children is not his area of expertise. A babysitter seems like an obvious answer doesn't it? But only the Doctor could find a suitable candidate then kidnap her and nearly fall off the Grand Canyon within an hour of their meeting.
1. Chapter 1

**First Doctor Who story! Woo!  
Most of this chapter was written about three years ago. I did about 900 words of filling. Future chapters will be written as I go!**

* * *

The little side alley that sat across the road from the shops Rose Tyler used to shop at had a dull existence. Very few people even knew of it, and even less had ever ventured down it. To most of the world, it was just another dark corner for shadows to lurk in.

But being so obscure had its advantages. It would be a perfect place to, say, hide something very conspicuous, wouldn't it?

And it just so happened that at exactly 1:34 in the morning in the middle of an especially wintery February, that little alley had a visitor for that exact reason. Where better to hide a large blue box whilst on the run from an alien race that were intent on kidnapping and sacrificing you for their leader, because you accidentally tripped and knocked him over?

Not that the arrival of the box in that particular alley had been planned.

It had been a quiet night, no problems with any youths and drunks. For once it was absolutely silent. Unusually silent. Of course, that all changed when the blue box and its eccentric occupants literally appeared from nowhere. But the chaos it was in the process of causing in the quiet street during its entrance was increasingly insignificant compared to the havoc going on inside. To put it lightly, the box was malfunctioning a little bit.

"No, no! Don't do that!" A male voice wailed. "Amelia, did you strap yourself into the pilot seat?!"

"I did it ages ago! I'm not an idiot!" A smaller, much more feminine voice replied.

The strange man running around inside jumped from one side of the massive console to the other, keeping an eye on the small ginger girl a few metres away, pushing buttons and pulling levers in a strange sequence in a vain attempt to stop the box from crashing into a large tower of apartments. Having just unintentionally fallen out of the space-time vortex, this was easier said than done. A loud boom, and the fact that his entire body ended up airborne for a second before crashing down near the door, told him that he hadn't been successful. Clipping the edge of the building had sent the entire room into a head-over-heels spin, and the man found himself clinging onto one of the coral-like structures that blossomed from various areas of floor. With an ear-splitting screech, he forced down a small lever, and the box crashed to a halt.

He jumped up and spun to face the little seven year old in the room with him. "Amelia! Are you okay?"

"I didn't like that. Please don't do it again."

"I'll try my best not to. And sorry about that, Sexy." The man apologised to the empty room, patting the floor. "I'll try not to do that again. Though, to be fair, that rift interference didn't help. I know it wasn't your fault!"

The console hummed, and he beamed.

"No grudges held? Fabulous. Now, where did we land? I hope it wasn't too far away from where I planned. I hate walking, walking is boring." He rambled, jumping up and straightening his bow tie. "So many other things we could be doing instead... Like, oh, I don't know, visiting Paranar to visit the Countess, or browsing the Andromeda Galaxy's finest shopping centre for hats. I love their hats! That'll be the next stop, I think. What do you think, Amelia?"

"Can I go to my room and sleep?" Amelia asked, looking shaken. "I haven't slept since before we ran across Aezulia's north pole to catch that penguin thing."

The box's console made a noise of consent, and the man nodded. "Of course."

The poor girl had been up for nearly a whole twenty four hours, plus the shock of falling out of the sky. And the 'penguin thing' was actually a mutated version of an Earth eagle, but she was close enough.

Sounding impeccably like a sigh, the console made another noise, then the door flew open. She wanted everyone out.

"Oh yes, thank you. I got a bit sidetracked, didn't I? Anyway. I'll leave you to do some repairs, okay? Don't miss me too much."

The console groaned. The brief adventure had caused some pretty significant damage. The man took a step back towards it in concern, but an irritable buzzing started up. He took this as his cue to get out, and did so as quickly as he could. Knowing the ship, if he upset her, she'd lock him out all night.

Stepping outside the door, a chill washed over the man, and he shook himself. A distant slamming told him Amelia had retreated to bed, which meant his box would start repairing itself. He thought it was a little unfair that she got to stay inside while he got evicted, but the TARDIS was very familiar with his tinkering habits.

"Blimey, looks like I got the date wrong too! Couldn't even land in the summer..." he mumbled to himself, pulling the door shut behind him.

He pondered for a moment on whether to go back inside and try to skip six months ahead, or to let his box repair herself from his driving and explore. He smiled. His ship would never let him back in. The latter is was then! Besides, it seemed much more appealing. Now all he had to do was find something exciting.

He looked up and down the street. The gloomy, icy air and the absence of any life in either direction didn't give him too much hope.

"Not great so far on the adventure front, old girl."

The man slowly walked up the street, hoping to find a source of light somewhere. It was a little too dark for his liking, and too quiet. Not seeing anything or hearing anything made him anxious, and so he turned around and headed back towards the box. Maybe he'd just sit outside it for a bit.

However, just as he was fishing around in his pockets for the key to his box to check he hadn't lost it and locked himself out again, a dull crash filled the air. On its own, it wasn't exactly promising, (could've been a cat knocking over a bin or something rubbish) but the sound of running footsteps made his hearts jump. Cats don't have footsteps!

Finding an adventure in less than five minutes? That had to be a record.

* * *

"Get back here!"

Footsteps pounded the road.

_Run faster!_

The short figure at the front of the chase darted down a side road, towards a tiny shopping area. It had been silent until the angry, adrenaline-fuelled yells had filled the air. As it had been for the last ten minutes of running, there was still not a living thing in sight. This was either a blessing or a curse; the teenager didn't know which. It meant that, again, there was no one to help her, but it also meant no collateral damage.

Spotting an electricity box backed onto a wall, she scrambled up onto it and vaulted over the fence just as the footsteps drew near. The bushes stopped rustling, and everything went silent.

She fumbled shakily with the long wooden stick in her hands. Behind the thin fence, the footsteps hammered past. She almost began to hope that they'd missed her.

No such luck.

Thundering boots hitting tarmac switched to heavy breathing, and she almost cried out in alarm when the fence behind her sagged, and a huge body fell against it. Crushed between a bush and the wooden panels, she could do little else except for listen to the exchange on the street barely inches from her face.

"He's gonna kill us if we've lost her again!"

"She can't be that far away. She had, what, twenty seconds on us? Check behind those bins. Slippery little thing… I wouldn't put it past her to hide there."

Sounds of rattling bins rang through the cold air as one of the thugs seemed to be throwing the metal containers aside. When it fell silent again, the girl held her breath. In her mind, breathing was loud enough for them to hear. She held the fabric of her jumper over her face.

"Stupid child. Cerin owes us big time when we catch her."

The girl held back a sigh. It's not like the bounty placed on her head wasn't large enough already..

"Come on. She probably went for shelter."

The fence gave an injured groan as the weight pressed against it vanished, and the two men retreated towards the buildings.

Experience had taught the girl well, and she stayed frozen for a solid minute after they went out of earshot, giving her time to establish that it wasn't another trap. The previous chase had almost ended in her capture, and she was unwilling to repeat it so soon.

The first thing she moved was her foot. Using it to guide herself out from under the bush without making a sound, she wriggled forwards and backwards in an attempt to extract herself from the shrubbery. Due to her care it took a while, but she eventually rolled free of the small space and was able to stretch her limbs again. Unhelpfully, she noted, her foot had gone fuzzy from where she'd been crouched on it.

Giving it a shake to redirect the blood flow, she looked around. Her acrobatics had landed her in a narrow alley. A fine mist was beginning to settle in the air, making the ends of the alley murky and indiscernible. It sent shivers up her spine, and she pulled her jacket closer around her body for comfort.

_Right. Onwards, and in the opposite direction to them._

Still silently cursing her dead foot, she started to run. Tiredness was beginning to become a pretty severe issue, but she ploughed on. If she could just find somewhere to rest, somewhere safe..

Before she could fully register him, a man suddenly appeared in front of her and slammed right into her. The impact knocked both of them off balance. She fell silently, out of habit, but the other person wasted no breath in falling down noisily with a shocked yell. Acting on instinct, she fumbled around for the stick as the man began to sit back up with a groan, and reached for his pocket.

She found the thin rod just as the man pulled a similarly-shaped item from his own pocket, and both parties held up their items in a defensive gesture. To her surprise, the man suddenly beamed, and lowered his hand.

"Human!" he said, delightedly.

* * *

With a look of incredulity on her face, the girl stared at the Doctor with her mouth in a tight line. Hostility radiated out from her, and the Doctor noticed that she didn't release her tight grip on the piece of wood she was holding. Clearly, she was expecting him to attack her. He'd seen the look before. Keeping his smile up, the Doctor held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry! Wasn't looking where I was going!"

She didn't answer. Instead, she pushed herself another foot away from him.

Realising small-talk would get him nowhere, he jumped to his feet (regretting the quick movement when the girl visibly flinched) and offered her a hand. His sonic was still in his hand, and the Doctor realised that the girl seemed more afraid of the screwdriver than him. He calmly replaced it in his pocket, and repeated his hand-offering.

"I'm not out to hurt you, do you want any help?"

Looking like a frightened wild animal, the girl shook her head. She pulled herself to her feet and, never dropping her gaze, began to back away.

"Are you with him?"

The Doctor almost missed her question, and his eyebrows shot up his forehead.

"What?"

"Please don't play with me. Are you with Cerin?"

Completely confused, the Doctor shook his head. Cerin? He'd never heard the name before, let alone formed a partnership with the bloke.

"No. I'm the Doctor. I travel, I run around a lot, I generally get into rather sticky situations on a daily basis, but I've never met whoever you're thinking of."

Again, silence followed. She seemed to be weighing him up. The Doctor tried to plaster his best "trustworthy" smile on his face, but only accomplished a manic grin. The girl in front of him grimaced, then finally dropped her hand.

"If you're lying, it's giving you no advantage. It's just cruel."

The Doctor smiled. "Not lying. Cross my hearts!"

She gave him a funny look before continuing.

"A man in a silly bowtie running round here this late at night? Forgive me for thinking you a_ tad_ suspicious…"

Then she stopped talking, and her eyes locked onto something behind the Doctor. A small, timid voice piped up from behind him.

"Doctor? I couldn't sleep. I thought I was going to have nightmares."

"Is that your daughter?"

The Doctor froze. Nobody was supposed to see Amelia! They'd report him to the police, and not even UNIT would be able to deal with the manhunt that would ensue. The decision the Doctor made next was either one of the best, or one of the worst. Panic shot through him and, with a flick of his arm, he grabbed the teenager's wrist. Her eyes went huge and fearful and she raised the stick.

"You lied!"

He didn't have time to contradict her. Instead, he smacked it from her hands, put his hand over her lips to stop her screaming and attracting more attention, and pulled her into the TARDIS. Once they were close enough to the console, he let go of her with one hand and groped around behind him. If he could just find the handle, he could wipe her memories and put her back where she came from with no knowledge of him or Amelia. Unfortunately, it was the hand that was keeping the girl in front of him from shouting out.

The Doctor had never met a girl who could scream so loudly. The sheer volume of it was enough to send Amelia, who had backed into the TARDIS before him, sprinting from the room in fear, probably thinking an alien was in the TARDIS.

"Shh!" He begged, as his hands came into contact with the thing he was looking for. "Stop screaming!"

The sedative gun beeped to show it was ready, and he didn't waste a second in jamming it into the teenager's arm. She crumpled instantly. The Doctor looked down in dismay.

On a scale of one to "well-handled", he reckoned he'd scored roughly minus three.

* * *

**A/N Please review! If you have any questions, leave them in a review or PM me. I'll answer them all as best I can!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey look, another chapter! Now, I don't know if any of you were around for the multi-chap HP fic I wrote many years ago, but the girl from this story is the main charrie from that. I took it down because someone made it their mission to leave a pretty nasty review on all 16 chapters, so you won't find it on my profile. Hope this chapter isn't too bad! I understand that she's a bit of a Mary Sue, but this fic is my little break from freedom from my extensive work load. I'll actually work on the sequel to make it good.  
(I'll shush now.)**

* * *

_Sweet Merlin my head hurts._

The girl lying on the TARDIS console room floor slowly regained consciousness. Her mind was a jumbled mess. She let out a quiet moan as she forced her eyes open.

"Um, hello."

That woke her up. A man, apparently who had just left his teens, was smiling nervously down at her from his crouched position over her. She scrambled back as far as she could into a corner and watched him roll back and stand up, breathing fast and shallow.

The man tried again: "Hi, I'm the Doctor."

She still didn't reply. Slowly her recollection of what had happened came back to her, and her eyes flicked to her wrist. The skin was slightly pinker than its usual pale cream colour. Looking back at the "Doctor", his face had changed so there was a look of guilt on it.

"I'm so sorry about that. I just panicked, because I made a mistake and you saw her and—"

He broke off as she began patting her pockets agitatedly. "Are you alright?"

And the first words that the Doctor heard leave her mouth since she woke were a very shrill "where have you fucking put it!?"

He looked perplexed. "Put what?"

This earned him an angry glare. Had it not been for the girl's attention being diverted by the colossal centre console, the Doctor was sure she would've continued angrily quizzing him. Her mouth formed a perfect circle as she stared around her.

"Where am I?!"

He beamed. This one he knew the answer to! "You're on my ship! It's called the TARDIS, which stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, and—"

The girl cut him off with a shrill, hysterical laugh. "Space? You're telling me this is a spaceship?"

He looked pleased that she'd apparently understood. "Yes! And a time machine!"

She snorted incredulously and started ranting loudly, as though expecting someone to walk out from behind the console. "You expect me to believe that?! Come on, Cerin, pick a better story that that! A _spaceship_ – Really? You're running out of lies, cousin!"

The Doctor stared with a look of perplexion across his face.

A very good actor this time, then.

"What are you on about?!"

He stood up, making her flinch. Much as she thought the whole situation was positively hilarious, she really didn't want this man near her. She looked round for the door, and upon spotting it, got ready to make a run for it.

"I'm not Cerin." The Doctor said, putting his hands up in a calming gesture. "There's no one else here. Just me and-"

She seized her chance. Now that her path was clear, she sprang up and darted for the door. The Doctor put out a hand to block her way, but she wildly lashed out and her hand sharply collided with his cheek. He protested indignantly, cradling it, but she was already across the room and smashing into the door hard enough to make her wrist crack indignantly. At her touch, the wood parted to allow her exit. Ten steps later and blinded by the sunlight, she was far enough away from the crazy room to breathe properly.

Then her eyes adjusted to the light, and she wished she'd stayed inside.

"Hey, stop! Please! Don't run any further!" The Doctor shouted, sounding panicky. He'd followed her out of the door with one cheek much redder than usual.

He needn't have worried. She was frozen to the spot.

"This. This is..."

"The Grand Canyon. Um. Yeah. I felt it would help if I got you away from that alley."

She sighed and turned. "You can cut it out now. Stop pretending to be on my side. Just ask Cerin for the bloody order, and throw me off this cliff. Go on, I'm sick of this game of cat and mouse."

Exasperated, the Doctor held his hands out in a _what do you want from me?_ gesture. "I don't know how to convince you that I don't want to murder you."

During the declaration, the Doctor had taken a step towards her without realising. While he was oblivious, the girl did notice. Her feet mimicked the movement and she grew even closer to the end of the cliff. He apologetically stepped back, putting a decent twenty feet between them, but she didn't follow. He resigned himself to the fact he didn't have another chance and might have to run to the TARDIS if she moved again and fell.

"You can ask me to prove it in any way you want." He said carefully.

She considered him for a moment, eyes flicking over him. She seemed to be scrutinising every inch of his attire and trying to make a decision. The Doctor waited patiently. There was nothing to be gained from rushing her, and he didn't particularly want another death on his hands if he spooked her and she tripped over the edge of the canyon and hit the stone before he could catch her.

An idea seemed to suddenly hit her, and she stuffed her hand down her top enthusiastically. Slightly stunned at the movement, the Doctor turned his head away. A few metres away, the girl continued avidly searching down her chest.

"Um, are you alright?" he asked, unsure of when to look up.

An answer came in the form of something small and hard smacking him in the chest and falling to the ground at his feet. He bent to scoop it up, confused.

The item turned out to be a tiny bottle with a cork stopper in it. Habit told him to open it and inspect the contents, but he restrained himself and looked back up at the girl. It didn't take a genius to guess that the bottle was the thing she'd been searching for.

"I suppose I'm to drink this?"

"Right in one, Bowtie Guy."

She looked impressed when, without complaint or argument, he pulled the cork out, tossed it aside, and swallowed the liquid in one.

"Well, you earn points for blind trust." She said, finally moving back towards him and away from the towering canyon edge.

The effect was instantaneous. As the liquid rushed down into his body, the Doctor suddenly felt like he didn't have a care in the world. All thoughts of anxiety or stress fled his mind and left him happy as a child with a bowl of sweeties all to themselves. Needless to say, a huge grin suddenly appeared on his face. Anyone watching the scene would've thought she'd just given him twelve kilos of caffeine all in one go.

"How do you feel?" The girl asked. The Doctor's eyes flicked back up to meet hers, the enthusiastic grin still huge.

"Fantastic! Great! I feel like I could go and start a revolution, or wrestle a bear!"

She smiled for the first time.

"Neither will be necessary. That's a truth potion, though, so I don't doubt that you would."

He straightened his bowtie happily and wiggled his fingers in a child-like fashion. The girl let him amuse himself for a few more moments, then started asking him questions.

"Okay, we'll start with easy ones. Are you with Cerin?"

"Never heard of him before I ran into you."

She looked a little shocked, but continued.

"Name?"

"The Doctor."

"Where do you come from?"

"Gallifrey."

"Sounds Irish." The girl mused, then paused. "Next, I... You know what? I want you to tell me about you. Tell me about yourself, about all your adventures… How you managed to come across that alley at the same moment I did. And most importantly… Just who exactly are you?"

The Doctor smiled, and opened his mouth. They were going to be there for while..

* * *

Half an hour later, the Doctor was beginning to feel the side effects of the truth serum wearing off. The Sun had risen to directly above them and the infrared waves emitting from it were becoming distinctly painful. Considering it was only Spring there, the Doctor thought that it was getting a bit ridiculous for that time of year. Maybe he shouldn't have skipped forwards the month and a half..

The girl, who had introduced herself as Cassie, wasn't faring much heat was taking its toll on her too; her eyes were visibly drooping and wincing. As well as the searing heat, the sunlight was painfully bright on their eyes. The Doctor quickly finished up his recount of his latest Sontaran meeting and quickly planned his next words out in his head before speaking once again.

"...And now I have a proposition for you."

Cassie tilted her head, inviting him to continue.

"You're on the run." The Doctor started, and watched her carefully. Her hands clenched, but apart from that, she remained still. "And I understand that. I have a predicament of sorts, and you could be the answer to it."

"Go on."

"The young girl you saw yesterday was Amelia Pond. She's only seven, and I've already proved myself absolutely incapable at caring for her in a suitable fashion. My proposition is that I employ you, in a way, to deal with more than just the basic necessities and adventures. Basically, I need a babysitter. You seem like the careful type, so it would be a perfect match. How does that sound?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow then fixed a blank look on her face. "You said you picked her up by accident and caused a fixed point in time with your time and space machine, right?"

"To put it simply, yes."

The pause that followed was at least a full minute; enough to give Cassie time to think. The offer was fair enough, the Doctor thought, but he also knew he couldn't forget how unwilling she was to trust him. Hopefully the truth potion and Amelia would work in his favour. Cassie would be an excellent travelling companion if she accepted.

He loved his human companions, especially if they were a challenge in some way. Rose had been a romantic and loyal companion struggling with her future, and Donna had been there to keep him in line in the only way the ginger woman knew how: sarcasm and sharp wit. Both had problems, and both grown women had blossomed into some of the most important people in the Earth's history.

But, while he couldn't continue without them, the grown companions lacked the sense of childish freedom that only kids have. The point was, he had not had a companion like Susan or Ace in many hundreds of years. While it hurt him to lose companions so young, because these two would leave just like all the others, this generation felt like one that needed some younger companions that he could be both a friend and father figure to. Combined with Cassie's obviously dire situation, he knew she was the best he was going to find.

He turned his attention back to the girl in question, still patiently waiting for an answer. To his relief, he didn't have to wait much longer.

"I have nothing to lose, Doctor, so I agree to your terms," she said.

The Doctor beamed. "Great! I'll just-"

"...but I have a few rules of my own."

She finished and crossed her arms. His face sincere, the Doctor agreed to hear them.

"Firstly, you do not ask me about my family. If I wish to tell you, I will. But not until I'm ready. Also, please don't bring up how you found me. I'd rather forget that."

"Sounds do-able."

"And finally..." she walked towards and past him, coming to a halt just outside the doors of the TARDIS. "I'd like to visit someone."

Letting out a sigh, the Doctor rubbed his hands on his forehead. The request was not a new one.

"Someone dead?"

"Yes."

"The laws of time may not-"

"I don't expect you to help me prevent their death!" she snapped, eyes flaring. "But I would like to speak to them to let them know it wasn't in vain."

"It still might change events that have already happened, and therefore create a paradox."

Eyes were rolled in his direction. "I'll do it subtly. Maybe wipe their memories of it. Set a memory timer of sorts, so they only remember a few minutes before it happens." She shrugged. "That sort of thing."

The Doctor, after a brief consultation with the TARDIS via telepathy link, finally nodded. If his ship agreed that it wouldn't rip another hole in the universe, he couldn't see the harm in the trip.

"Now?" he asked.

She clearly hadn't been expecting to win the argument so easily, let alone be given the choice to go immediately. Now, even though she had her wish, Cassie paused and bit her lip nervously.

"...No. Not yet. I'm not ready. Imagine you're going to have to talk to someone knowing that they're going to die, and that this is the very last time you'll ever speak to them, but not being able to tell them that or say a proper goodbye. I can't just barrel into that."

The Doctor didn't need to imagine it. His vision filled with pictures of magnificent blonde curls and coy smiles, and a familiar sense of unbearable longing swept through him. He could feel the TARDIS trying to comfort him, but he silently assured her it was okay and she faded back to her usual quiet presence in the back of his mind.

Cassie was too caught up in her own thoughts to register him, and a part of him thanked her for it. His grief over River's inevitable death was private.

"Do you want to head inside?" The Doctor asked, pointing up at the Sun above their heads. "It would somewhat put a spanner in the works if we both got sunstroke from this heat."

A nod of consent was given. He pushed the TARDIS door open for her and held it there as she passed. Upon entering, Cassie's eyes widened. In the chaos of her attempted escape, she'd forgotten how huge the ship was. Her complete awe at the interior of the ship hadn't faded, and the Doctor stood back to let her explore on her own for a few seconds. He was perfectly content, now that he'd escaped the Sun's merciless rays, to simply watch her roam.

* * *

Cassie ran her hands over the console gently. The buttons seemed to respond to her gentle touch, and beeped contentedly. She smiled it, realising there might be something more to the ship than just wires and cogs.

"She likes you."

She turned. She'd almost forgotten that the Doctor was there with her. He smiled gently at her, and she gave him a questioning look.

"She?"

"The TARDIS has a mind of her own - literally. She's a sentient being, and my oldest friend."

If someone had said that the machine had a brain of its own a few days earlier, Cassie would've considered putting them in a crazyhouse somewhere. However, the day's events had been strange to say the least, and Cassie was surprised to find that she'd just accepted the statement as truth without really questioning it.

She patted the platform's rail gently.

"Hello." she said quietly, trying not to feel silly.

Part of her hadn't expected a response, but Cassie was still disappointed when quiet fell. Only the constant hum of the console broke the silence, and Cassie pulled her hand back and pushed them back into her hoodie pockets. The Doctor seemed to notice the gesture, and moved to change the subject.

"I assume you're pretty tired." he observed, taking note of the bags under her eyes and the way she held herself. Like a wild animal, she still had an uneasy and fragile posture. That, added with the shock of thinking she'd been kidnapped, had left her exhausted.

Her lips broke into a satirical smile. "You could say that."

"Do you want to rest?"

Cassie looked around. "If you didn't mind. I have a blanket-"

"No, no, no." The Doctor interrupted. "We have everything you could need. That's the great thing about the TARDIS. Ask nicely, and she can come up with almost anything."

He beamed proudly. Cassie gratefully thanked him, and after a few more seconds of him ensuring her it was no big deal, allowed him to direct her towards a corridor that he claimed would "surely have a bedroom if you look hard enough".

She was about to leave when she remembered something, and turned back towards the centre of the room. The Doctor, who had taken her place on the raised platform, had started to busy himself flicking dials and tweaking levers.

"Doctor," Cassie said after another short silence. He turned and looked at her curiously.

"I'm sorry I slapped you."

She knew she was going red, embarrassed. The Doctor grinned and laughed.

"Don't worry about it. I suppose it wasn't entirely undeserved, what with the accidental rugby tackling."

"Call that a _rugby tackle_? More like a lucky flail."

"Oh!" The Doctor gasped, feigning being shot. "You've mortally wounded me with your harsh words!"

"Please, I'm sure my words have done little to dent such an ego."

The Doctor smirked. "You're quick, I see."

"When the occasion arises." Cassie replied, smiling genuinely.

"Good. Can't have someone like that around here _constantly_. It would be like having two mes."

Cassie snorted at that and, after saying farewell for the second time, she disappeared through one of the many doors leading away from the room. The Doctor remained where he was, leaning against the centre console.

"Play nicely, old girl." he said softly, patting his TARDIS. "Give her an easy route."

The only response was an increased humming but, for the centuries-old alien, it was enough.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Upon advice from my friend Aimee, I'm moving this to the HP/DW crossover section. It will allow me to have more fun with Cassie's background and the adventures! I'm also considering reuploading the original Cassie fic, so I'll be noting my process with rewriting the bits of that that I couldn't find in my emails up here in the author's note. Sorry for rambling - enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

To put it bluntly, Cassie slept like a log that night - if you could even call it night.

Before he had also retired to bed, the Doctor had knocked on her door to tell her that he was putting them in the 'space-time vortex'. She hadn't really understood that much further than knowing that nobody else in the universe could find them there, and that was enough to put her at ease for the time being. After all, who else had a time machine?

Sitting up in the bed, having woken up barely moments previously she looked around and took in her surroundings for the first time.

Her room was nice enough. Lovely, even. The Doctor hadn't been lying when he'd said it would cater for her. The TARDIS had performed above the basics, and had apparently taken great care in the little details. Her name had been written across the door in a swirly white font, there were thick crimson and gold blankets over the bed, and the wardrobe even had clothes not dissimilar to ones that she usually wore. One thing that really touched Cassie was that she knew she'd hung her little bag on the doorknob as she went to investigate the clothes, yet when she got back, it was placed on the chair next to her bed for easy access and in case she needed it in the night.

All the things that made it more homely, and everything she would need if she was staying indefinitely.

Cassie laid back onto the pillows and stared up at the canopy overhanging her. Did the welcome mean that she was allowed to remain there permanently? She considered her options thoughtfully.

One option was staying for a few weeks then escaping and starting a new life. With a time and space ship, she could ask the Doctor to take her to any planet in the universe a million years in the future, with no worries of her loathsome cousin catching up with her.

But, even as she thought about it, Cassie knew she wasn't going to do that. The Doctor had been so generous, and it would be beyond unacceptable to abuse his kindness.

That then left option two. She could stay permanently, or at least until Amelia had grown up, and remain as an au pair to the young girl. This option came with the benefits of long term companionship and employment, and less danger than if she went back and faced the streets of 20th Century England alone.

She rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding? Of course she was going to pick option two. The only thing she'd accomplished by even considering otherwise was pointless burning out a few thousand brain cells.

"And option two means comfy blankets." She murmured aloud to the empty room. Using her foot as a hook, she pulled the blankets lying folded at the foot of the bed towards her. After a short wrestling match with them, she finally got one around her shoulders. She pulled it round her and sat there, engulfed in a fluffy swamp, savouring the feel of them.

Thinking back, she realised that the first moment she'd truly accepted that the TARDIS was alive was the same moment that she'd seen the blankets. Not only were they_ ridiculously_ warm (something she'd been missing for months), but they were in the exact colours of her school house; the two colours of Gryffindor house stuck out like a sore thumb in the shades of navy blue that coated the room, so it wasn't like they were there by chance.

Cassie hugged them closer to herself and pushed the thoughts of the former school out of her mind. Besides, she was going to have to start living like a normal, mortal human being, she was going to have to get used to thinking like one.

It then occurred to her that she'd been invited into the TARDIS to look after the little ginger girl she'd seen before, and she wasn't making a great first impression by sitting around in a blanket fort. She wriggled out of the bundle and swung her legs over the side of the bed and onto the floor, ready to get up and get dressed.

Out of habit, she reached for her bedside table looking for the familiar thin stick that she carried around permanently with her. Her fingers hit an empty surface, and she retracted them with a sigh. It had been lost in the scuffle with her new employer.

Telling the Doctor of her heritage was out of the question and, while she was feeling the absence of her wand like a splinter in her side, asking him to go back for it without raising suspicion was simply impossible. She sighed, and made her way into the bathroom to find a toothbrush.

* * *

Ten minutes and a quick wash later, Cassie had successfully put all thoughts of her lost wand out of her mind. On the contrary, she was busy investigating the many surprises of the spacious bathroom.

Eight cupboards lined the wall over the sink. Upon opening each in turn, Cassie had found things ranging from twenty different types of toothpaste to a hairbrush shaped like a turtle. To her amusement, the third cupboard had been entirely dedicated to an assortment of rubber animals which now resided in a pile in the bathtub.

Cassie closed the door of the eighth and final cupboard, and reached for the sink. The toothbrush hunt had been successful (cupboard number four) and she'd picked out some generic minty toothpaste. There were other flavours like strawberry and lemon, but she decided to leave those experiments for another day.

She brushed her teeth quickly, then put everything away in its rightful place. Taking a moment to swipe her hair up into a hairband, she left the room.

Back in the main bedroom, Cassie approached the wardrobe and pulled out the first thing that she laid her hands on. The item revealed itself to be a snazzy red dress that wouldn't have been out of place in a dance club. She returned it to its home hastily, and tried again. The second attempt was more successful, and she ended up in a plain pair of dark jeans and a matching jacket. She also found a smart red blouse, so pulled that on too.

Then she hit the sock drawer.

She didn't really know what she'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't what she found. Row upon row of brightly coloured and patterned socks lay packed into the wooden box. Cassie couldn't contain her laugh, and started poking around to find a new favourite. After all, she'd only had two pairs of boring black socks up until this point.

_Small things amuse small minds. Eh, Cass?_

Her eyes fell on a pair covered in tiny bunnies, and she grinned. Within moments they were on her feet, and she wiggled her toes childishly. The rest of the clothes followed suit, and a couple of minutes later she was ready for whatever the day threw at her.

As she wandered around making the bed and checking that she had her little bag tucked safely into her pocket, she realised that, as a whole, she was pretty happy that morning. Comfortable clothes, a good night's sleep; she was finally feeling something other than exhausted. It had to have been over a year since she'd felt like this.

However, it couldn't last.

"Good morning, Cassie."

Fear shot through her as a smooth voice spoke in her ear, and she grabbed the nearest weapon while slamming the perpetrator into the wall.

"Oh, hello. Your, um... teeth look nice today. The TARDIS said-"

Cassie stepped back and took the lamp stand away from the Doctor's neck.

"Number one; do not sneak up on me. Number two; keep your ship's creepy telepathy away from me!" She snapped, spooked.

She took a step back, and the Doctor retreated towards the door apologetically. A smile was on his face, but it was far from his usual cheeky confident grin. It was more of a gentle smile; warm, yet calm at the same time. He stood there, twiddling his fingers, as he waited for her to calm down and be ready to talk.

Eventually she pinched the bridge of her nose and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You made me jump." She said quietly. "That's not a very good idea. I could've seriously hurt you."

"I doubt it, I'm pretty resilient." The Doctor replied, only to receive a unimpressed raised eyebrow as a response.

"Right. Just, give me some warning next time?" She asked, still looking a little on edge. "I don't want to end up panicking and breaking limbs, and then getting kicked out. As it is, I've probably upset the TARDIS."

She looked so dejected that the Doctor broke his retreat and strolled over to sit by her on the covers. While she didn't tell him to stop or threaten him with the lamp again, he noticed she still flinched when the bed sagged slightly under his weight. He made sure to leave space between them as a compromise.

"The TARDIS doesn't hold petty grudges, and companions choose when they want to leave, Cassie. We won't kick you out if you don't want to go."

She looked up with, to his surprise, slightly watery eyes.

"Did I do something?" He asked, alarmed. "No, no." She mumbled.

"Don't worry, I'm just being silly."

He frowned. "Are you sure?" "

You really don't understand why I'm...?" She asked in disbelief, then shook her head. "...Oh, you don't. Yes. Don't worry."

Her words didn't stop him from doing so, but he fell silent anyway. It took a few moments for him to remember his reason for being there.

"A little bird told me you were wondering what the plan for the day is."

"The TARDIS is pretty remarkable." Cassie commented. "Yes, I suppose I was."

"Well, it's an exciting one! After an incident with a star whale, I promised Amelia a trip to an intergalactic pet shop, and..."

He trailed off as Cassie snorted.

"What?"

"Nothing." She hid her mouth behind her hand. "You're just getting very excited over seeing some fluffy animals."

His eyes twinkled. "You say that like they're a bad thing."

Cassie laughed, and had visibly relaxed. "Well, you're taking a seven year old girl into a_ pet shop_. Just let that sink in!"

The Doctor shrugged. "I keep my promises."

"Always?" Cassie tilted her head.

"When I possibly can."

Cassie seemed satisfied. The answer seemed to have been the right one, and she stood up, indicating towards the door.

"Are we leaving now, then?" She asked, straightening her back.

A shrill squeal of the Doctor's name answered for him. The sound made the Doctor's face break into a subconscious grin, and Cassie's face softened a little. She smiled once more, then hovered in the door to wait for him.

And together, the unlikely team walked in time as they left to find Amelia.

* * *

**Reviews are love! Next chapter will have Amelia, adventures, and a crapton of guinea pigs. **


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